Reach4Life- Journey 1: BelieveSample

Day Three: Sin and Judgment

“There’s no one righteous, not even one.” Romans 3:10, NIV

LISTEN

You have a disease worse than HIV. All of us do. We’re all SIN-positive. Sin does more than cut our lives short, it cuts us off from our Creator. Not only in this life, but forever. Even the smallest kids have these symptoms. Have you ever seen how naughty little children can be? Who taught them to disobey their parents, to lie, to steal, to hurt others? It’s our sinful, rebellious hearts that lead us astray.

The word sin means to miss the goal. God created us to live lives reflecting his love, goodness and purity in the world. However, when left to our own devices, we miss the point and live selfish lives hurting ourselves and those around us.

LOOK

Romans 3:10-20, 23

LEARN

God looks deeper than our outward achievements, appearance and personalities. He sees minds that don’t understand him (v10), hearts that have turned away (v12). He hears dishonest, hurtful words (v13-14). He sees self-inflicted pain (v16), and our lack of peace (v17-18).

How does God feel about our sin?

· He judges us according to his perfect standards (v19).

· These standards silence our excuses and leave us standing guilty before him (v20).

· All of us have sinned, falling short of God’s perfect ways (v23).

Is God cruel to judge our sin?

Injustice happens when Judges free those who are guilty or treat people unequally. God brings about justice. He lets no-one escape their deserved punishment. If he did he would be unjust. The eternal consequences of our sin are more serious than we feared. We’re more sinful than we ever realised.

In the next stop, we will see we’re also more loved than we ever dreamed.

LIVE

· In what ways have you seen sin hurt people?

· How do you feel about being guilty of sin before a holy God?

LINK

For more on Sin & Judgment, read:

Romans 2:5-6

Revelation 20:11-15